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You delivered your presentation to thunderous applause. You smiled in acknowledgement and with that smile still in place, you invite questions. Up shoots a hand followed by a booming voice, which asks: As wind turbines go, er, aah, can you tell me how a stator-rotor turbine cascade design can be used to more effectively extract energy from the flow?

Your smile freezes in place and you ask yourself who is this (you choose the word)? That was the whole crux of my presentation!

Here are some tips to help you handle the questions professionally.

1. In the scenario above, release your smile which by now has turned quite plastic. Resist the urge to be sarcastic (this is usually sooo hard for me!) and remember that someone once said: there’re no stupid questions only stupid answers. Now check out the tips below.

2. Anticipate questions and prepare for them. Rehearse your presentation before colleagues or friends and ask them for questions. This has the added benefit of allowing you to fill any pertinent gaps.

3. Clarify the question before you attempt to answer, repeating it in your own words if necessary. If you don’t know the answer, admit it, promise to find out and get back to the questioner and then find out and get back to the questioner.

4. Don’t be defensive. Have an attitude that communicates that you welcome questions and appreciate the opportunity to answer them. On your way home, in the car, with the windows rolled up and the doors locked…that’s another answer altogether!

5. Disarm loaded questions.They’re out there. Members of audiences whose sole purpose is to try to trip you up with a question based on false premises or baseless assumptions. Politely maintain your position. You may also ask the person to explain the question and share their information.

6. Divert irrelevant questions.These questions come from the sister of the brother at # 5 above. They are questions that are out of place and even if you know the answer, politely ask the person to explain how the question is relevant to the subject at hand.

7. Divide complex questions.These are the questions that may have three or more parts. Divide them up and answer each part individually. This helps you as well as the audience.

8. End the session by summarizing and thanking those who posed question.

So the next time you share some technical information with your audience, complete it by handling the Q & A session expertly. After all, you are the expert. Aren’t you?

If you’re telling stories in a business setting, add more impact to your presentation by telling some stories in first person (“I”), some stories in second person (“You”), and some stories in third person (“He, She, or They”).

Knowing which voice to use in what setting is the key to being successful with this technique. How do you decide? It all depends on what you’re trying to communicate.

o First-Person Storytelling

Telling “I” stories is a good way to build rapport with your audience. First-person stories, including personal experiences of failures and lessons learned as well as successes, are very powerful ways to communicate your message.

Use a story about yourself to demonstrate that you understand what your audience is feeling, what doubts or fears they may be wrestling with; what disappointments they’ve endured; what hopes they harbor; and what dreams they aspire to.

o Second-Person Storytelling

Use second-person language to communicate empathy, create a sense of urgency, and invite participation. Telling a story that addresses your audience directly is the verbal equivalent of walking with someone hand-in-hand.

“You” is the most powerful word in the English language for a storyteller, because the story immediately becomes the listener’s or reader’s story. And once they’ve claimed the story as their own, they aren’t likely to let go of it.

o Third-Person Storytelling

Third-person stories are great for establishing and building credibility.

Use of the third-person often conveys a sense of authority, which is one reason why good case studies — problem/solution stories — are so compelling.

Another reason to use the third person is to help make difficult or complex ideas easier to understand without diluting their importance. Imbuing an important but otherwise dry or technical explanation with some human interest makes it much more likely your audience will retain what you’ve said.

Clear communication is the only way to guarantee your good ideas are heard. Knowing the best way to present this communication helps ensure your ideas are not only heard but remembered.

One of the most overlooked aspects of skyrocketing your profits when you buy or sell a piece of real estate is hard-hitting negotiation. Your TV is overrun with the latest “Fix your house” television shows. Don’t get me wrong, fixing your home does have its place, but high-powered negotiation strategies will ad thousands of dollars of profits, without you needing to lift a finger.

In this article I am going am going to debunk two of the most costly myths about real estate negotiation. Just knowing a few of my easy tips about negotiation can easily add 1-5% of your homes sales price to your profit. That means on a $100,000 home, using a few simple tips can make you between $1,000-$5,000.

Myth #1 Create a win-win negotiation whenever possible- Can we get real a minute? If someone else wins, then you lose, it is as simple as that. In completing over 130 real estate transactions my goal has never been to create a win-win situation. Instead, my goal is always to create a situation where I win and the other person “Thinks” they have won.

Myth #2 Negotiation starts after offer is written- If you want to lose at least $1,000 on your next real estate transaction, then wait until after an offer is written to lay out your negotiation plan. Masterful negotiation starts the moment you make contact with a buyer or seller. Seeds of negotiation strategy planted early in the process, grow into trees of profit down the road.

Trust me using just a couple of these fool proof negotiation strategies will make your next real estate negotiation seem like showing up to a knife fight using an M-60.